I’m going to think about the types of family memories I want when I’m 80, and I’m going to make them happen. Now.

A full life doesn’t just happen, and it certainly doesn’t just happen to other people. I think, though, that our expectations and {mistaken} assumptions hold us back. We wait to have a life that we want, someone else’s life perhaps, but even that ideal doesn’t exist in real life.

For example, I was under the impression that families who dressed alike probably got along all the time. *Sigh.* My family would never be so cohesive as to do such a thing.

Until I decided our family needed to start a matching t-shirt tradition, and you know what? There was no interview process. Turns out, if you just give the company money, they send you t-shirts. Huh.

Happy Campers, yes we are!

And so we have created a memory to tuck away and a family tradition to repeat through the years. Every year we get matching camping tees. My son loves it. My husband’s not quite sold but he gets it. I remind him that in 30 years, when we’re camping with our kids and grandkids – the whole clan in matching t-shirts – he’ll thank me for starting this tradition. Even if we lose some cool points while we’re in our 30’s.

What memories to you want to have when you’re 80? What’s keeping you from creating them? Do you feel that, somehow, creating circumstances to cultivate family memories somehow makes them less genuine? It doesn’t. Inaction and wistful waiting just robs your family of precious memory-making moments. And breeds frustration that the memories aren’t being made fast enough.

Your family might not be perfect, but nobody else’s is, either. In fact, I’ll be honest and tell you I wasn’t exactly my hubby’s biggest fan when this pic was taken.

But shockingly, nobody revoked our matching t-shirts. And they certainly can’t take back our memories when we’re 80.